Andrew Pace
Going to bed drunk can have a significant impact on your sleep cycle. While you may fall asleep faster, you'll miss out on the first stage of sleep, which is the lightest stage, and you'll enter deep sleep sooner. This means you'll have fewer REM cycles, which is when your brain 'de-frags' itself. You'll also have an elevated heart rate and nervous system activity, which can cause disruptive sleep patterns in the second half of the night. So, while going to bed drunk might feel like a good idea at the time, it could leave you feeling unrefreshed and struggling to get up the next morning.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Sleep stage bypassed | First stage of sleep |
| Sleep stage entered quickly | REM sleep |
| Sleep stage entered sooner | Deep sleep |
| Heart rate | Elevated by 9 beats per minute |
| Nervous system | More active than normal |
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What You'll Learn
You fall asleep faster
When you go to bed drunk, you fall asleep faster. Alcohol depresses your brain, so you're zonked out between four and 16 minutes sooner than you would be if you were sober. You also enter deep sleep—the dream-free kind—about eight minutes sooner. However, this doesn't mean you're getting better quality sleep. In fact, it's quite the opposite. When you go to bed drunk, you bypass the first stage of sleep, which is the lightest stage, and enter REM sleep more quickly. This means you miss out on the deep sleep your body needs to feel rejuvenated in the morning, and you're more likely to wake up a few hours later and find it challenging to fall back asleep.
During the first hour or two of sleep, you fall into a deep slow wave sleep, which makes it very hard for someone to wake you, and you may have fewer REM cycles during this time. While you're in this state of regenerative sleep, your heart rate is elevated and your nervous system is more active than normal. This can cause disruptive sleep patterns for the second half of the night, and you may find yourself spending more time awake and having fewer dreams.
The reason for this is that alcohol disrupts your entire sleep cycle. After a big night of drinking (equivalent to four or more beers), you spend more time awake, have fewer dreams, and have an elevated heart rate. On a sober night, you cycle between deep sleep, when your body heals itself, and REM sleep, when your brain 'de-frags' itself for the day ahead. So, while you may fall asleep faster when you're drunk, you're more likely to wake up feeling unrefreshed.
The trick is balancing your intake. Drink enough to get to bed while still drunk, but not so much that you pass out. That way, you can take advantage of the faster sleep onset without sacrificing too much sleep quality. However, it's important to note that drinking alcohol before bed will always reduce your quality of sleep to some extent. So, if you're looking for a truly refreshing night's rest, it's best to avoid alcohol altogether.
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You miss out on deep sleep
When you go to bed drunk, you fall asleep faster and enter deep sleep sooner. However, this is the dream-free kind of deep sleep, and you miss out on the REM sleep that your body needs to feel rejuvenated in the morning. This means that you might wake up a few hours later and find it challenging to fall back asleep.
During the first hour or two, you fall into slow-wave sleep, which makes it very hard for someone to wake you, and you may have fewer REM cycles during this time. While you are in this state of regenerative sleep, your heart rate is elevated and your nervous system is more active than normal. This can cause disruptive sleep patterns for the second half of the night.
British researchers have found that drinking alcohol before bed reduces your quality of sleep. After reviewing 153 studies on alcohol and sleep, they narrowed in on 27 of the best. Their findings showed that after a big night of drinking (equivalent to four or more beers), your entire sleep cycle is disrupted. You spend more time awake, have fewer dreams, and have an elevated heart rate.
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You have fewer dreams
When you go to bed drunk, you fall asleep faster, and enter deep sleep—the dream-free kind—about 8 minutes sooner than you would if you were sober. This means you have fewer dreams.
When you go to bed drunk, you bypass the first stage of sleep, which is the lightest stage, where you can be awakened easily. During the first hour or two, you fall into slow-wave sleep, which makes it very hard for someone to wake you, and you may have fewer REM cycles during this time. REM sleep is when your brain 'de-frags' itself like a hard drive for the day ahead.
During this regenerative sleep, your heart rate is elevated and your nervous system is more active than normal. This means that parts of your nervous system are still more active than they should be, which can cause trouble later on.
Your entire sleep cycle is disrupted when you go to bed drunk. You spend more time awake, have fewer dreams, and have an elevated heart rate.
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You have an elevated heart rate
When you go to bed drunk, your body quickly falls into REM sleep, which means you miss out on deep sleep and encounter disruptive sleep patterns. This is because drinking alcohol before bed reduces your quality of sleep. Your sleep cycle is disrupted, and you spend more time awake, have fewer dreams, and have an elevated heart rate.
Elevated heart rate is a common side effect of drinking alcohol. Research has shown that the more alcohol you drink, the higher your heart rate gets. This is true for both men and women, although women may be more sensitive to the harmful cardiac effects of alcohol. Heavy drinking is a major risk factor for cardiovascular conditions such as stroke, hypertension, and heart disease.
When you have a few drinks and go to bed, you bypass the first stage of sleep, which is the lightest stage. During this time, your heart rate is elevated, and your nervous system is more active than normal. This means that parts of your nervous system are still more active than they should be, which can cause trouble later on.
One study found that the heart rates of adults increased with the amount of alcohol they drank. For more than 25% of them, increasing breath alcohol concentrations were associated with sinus tachycardia greater than 100 beats per minute. This was defined by the American Heart Association (AHA) as a "normal increase in the heart rate".
While an elevated heart rate induced by alcohol has not been conclusively proven to be harmful, people with heart conditions already have a higher heart rate, which can trigger arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation.
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You wake up unrefreshed
When you go to bed drunk, you fall asleep faster, and enter deep sleep about eight minutes sooner. However, your heart rate is elevated by nine beats per minute, meaning that parts of your nervous system are still more active than they should be. This can cause disruptive sleep patterns for the second half of the night.
To avoid this, try to balance your intake. Drink enough to get to bed while still drunk, but not enough to pass out.
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Frequently asked questions
When you go to bed drunk, you fall asleep faster and enter deep sleep sooner. However, your heart rate is elevated and your nervous system is more active than normal, which can cause disruptive sleep patterns in the second half of the night.
Drinking alcohol before bed reduces your quality of sleep. After a big night of drinking, your entire sleep cycle is disrupted – you spend more time awake, have fewer dreams, and have an elevated heart rate.
If you feel dizzy when trying to go to sleep drunk, try putting one foot on the floor next to your bed.
